Chapter 358 - I Became the Legendary Emperor Throughout the Ages After I Started Giving Away My Territory

Heshen immediately set to work after receiving the imperial decree.

It was the end of the month, the time for wage distribution according to Great Xia’s customs.

Thus, the workers who had finished a day’s work were excitedly lining up to receive their wages.

“It’s time to get paid again. My wife is waiting for me to bring the money home!”

“Indeed, I’ve been particularly short on cash lately! Prices for everything have gone up, and the money is simply not enough! Thankfully, I bought a house on a mortgage in advance. The price is fixed, otherwise, life would be unbearable!”

“Yes, the housing prices have skyrocketed, almost doubling, but good concrete houses haven’t increased in price!”

“I don’t know what’s going on, but the prices of various goods just keep rising by more than twenty percent in a month! I really miss the old days when I could live comfortably each month and still have a little surplus! Now, I can’t squeeze out a single penny!”

“Isn’t that the truth!”

They complained while queuing up.

At that moment, they were surprised to find that what was laid out before them was not money, but various kinds of goods—grain, salt, oil, tea, sugar, and so on, which took up a lot of space.

The first worker in line approached the accountant. Without looking up, the accountant asked, “What’s your name?”

The worker replied with his head down, “Good day, Mr. Accountant, my name is Lin San!”

“Lin San…”

The accountant searched in the ledger for a while before exclaiming, “Found it. You haven’t missed a day of work this month, nor have you been late or left early, so according to the rules, you can receive your full wages. Take it!”

The accountant waved his hand, and a pile of goods was brought out.

There was a bag of rice, about 30 jin (~15 kilograms).

A packet of coarse salt, about two liang (~100 grams).

A small jar of oil, also about two liang.

And there were tea and sugar, not much, but still a generous amount.

In addition, there were 50 wen.

Lin San was stunned at this sight: “Mr. Accountant, why are we being given goods instead of money?”

The accountant looked up: “You can take money if you want! But I advise you, it’s better to take the goods! Because taking these things is more economical.”

All the workers were dumbfounded: “Ah… what’s going on?”

At that moment, Heshen arrived at the construction site and, seeing the puzzled workers, loudly said, “Fellow people, with the recent surge in prices, everyone’s life has become difficult, with expenses exceeding income! His Majesty sympathizes with the people, so he has commanded me to convert your wages into goods and distribute them to all of you!”

“These living supplies are distributed at the old prices, enough for your monthly needs! Of course, it’s also possible if you prefer to receive cash instead of these goods. We respect everyone’s choice!”

“So that’s it!”

Everyone suddenly understood and tearfully expressed their gratitude: “Thank you, Your Majesty, for your great kindness!”

Heshen nodded and went on to inspect other places.

The accountant asked again: “Lin San, do you want to take money or goods now?”

Lin San looked at the table full of goods and then at the small bag of cash beside him.

Without hesitation, he took the goods and said, “Only a fool would take the money!”

After that, things went very smoothly.

Nearly ninety-nine percent of the workers chose to take the goods, as it was clearly more advantageous.

As a result, the demand for market grain and oil supplies decreased, and prices gradually began to fall.

Meanwhile, Heshen gathered the nobles and dignitaries who had recently arrived in Great Xia and spread out a large map, pointing to a flat area near the capital city, he said to everyone, “Everyone, this is the new district His Majesty plans to build. If you have money, you can buy land or houses here or invest in this area!”

The people looked at each other, and one of the representatives asked, “Heshen, what are the benefits of buying land or houses here?”

“There are many benefits!”

Heshen smiled and said, “First of all, this area has been named by His Majesty as the Noble District, a place for officials and nobles to reside! If you have land or houses here, it will showcase your status and earn you respect!”

The eyes of everyone present lit up.

They are all nobles and high officials who fled to this place from various countries.

Although they are wealthy, they hold no official positions here and have little reputation, so what they desire most is recognition of their status.

Owning a property here would give them a face when mentioned.

“Secondly, this place is spacious and the prices are favorable! You all know how the housing prices are in the capital city without me saying it—they are simply exorbitantly high! With the same amount of money, you could only buy a tiny house in the capital city, not big enough for many people! But here, you can buy a mansion and have the whole family live together. Isn’t that great?”

Everyone nodded in agreement.

The current housing prices in the capital city are so high they are frightening.

But not buying is not an option either, as they would have nowhere to live.

Now, Great Xia has given them a second choice, which is indeed worth considering for relocation.

“Thirdly, this place is still an open field, and the houses have not yet been built—there’s a lot of room for action!”

Heshen said with a smile, “As long as you can afford it, you can buy as much land as you want! You all come from different parts of the world with different customs and may have different requirements for houses. But now, if you buy this land, you can build whatever kind of house you want. Isn’t that great?”

Everyone nodded again, feeling that Heshen’s words made a lot of sense.

In the end, Great Xia gave up some land of little value and attracted all that money.

This also gradually brought down the housing prices on the market.

This made those who were secretly speculating very anxious.

“What do we do now? We haven’t even acted yet, and Great Xia has already driven down the prices! Now, we have stockpiled too much inventory, and even if we sell at break-even prices, our losses will be severe.”

“What else can we do now but sell immediately? The longer we hold, the more we lose!”

“Alas! At this point, that’s all we can do!”

Just then, someone rushed in hurriedly: “Disaster! All the grain, oil, tea, salt, and so on in our warehouse have vanished into thin air!”

“What?” Everyone was shocked and immediately ran to the warehouse.

They found it completely empty, with nothing left.

“What? How could this happen? Who did this?” Their faces turned ashen.

In the shadows, Lin Beifan sneered coldly: “Trying to play tricks on my land? Watch me bankrupt you!”

At that moment, a familiar voice echoed in his mind.

“Ding! Congratulations to the player, your national power has increased, and thus your strength has been upgraded synchronously. You have been rewarded with the ‘Eternal Youth and Everlasting Longevity’ skill!”

Lin Beifan was dumbfounded: “What’s going on? I don’t think I’ve done anything?”

***